Pete Hegseth has not formally nominated Christopher LaNeve for Army chief of staff because Republican senators are blocking the pick. Christopher Laneve has been serving as acting Army chief of staff while the nomination stalls, leaving the Army’s top job unsettled.
Christopher LaNeve and the committee
The report said LaNeve would need support from all Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee to move to a floor vote. The committee is divided 14-13, which means every Republican vote on that panel matters before the nomination can advance.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and other GOP senators are taking issue with LaNeve’s qualifications. He has been a four-star general for six months, and anonymous U.S. officials told The that this is one reason Ernst opposes the nomination.
Randy George in April
Hegseth wants the 59-year-old LaNeve to permanently replace retired Gen. Randy George. In April, Hegseth fired George after the general reportedly refused to remove two Black and two female officers from a list of service members set to be promoted to one-star generals.
That earlier change left LaNeve in the acting job while the permanent choice waited on Senate action. The Defense Department and Hegseth stand behind LaNeve’s leadership as Acting Chief of Staff of the Army, and Sean Parnell said, “The Department will continue to work with the White House and the Senate to nominate and ultimately confirm President Trump's pick to lead the United States Army.”
Last January call
Trump has already signaled support for LaNeve in public language, once describing him as out of “central casting.” Last January, LaNeve joined a video call with several other soldiers in the Eighth Army in South Korea and told Trump, “Welcome back, Mr. President,” after Trump asked about military affairs on the Korean peninsula and Kim Jong-un.
The stalled nomination now turns on whether Hegseth pushes LaNeve forward anyway or looks for another Army candidate. For now, the committee math says he cannot reach a floor vote without Republican backing on every step of the panel process.
